Advisors Asset Management Inc. Purchases 4,175 Shares of Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS)

Advisors Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS - Free Report) by 24.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 21,004 shares of the aerospace company's stock after acquiring an additional 4,175 shares during the period. Advisors Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in Leidos were worth $3,424,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Rakuten Securities Inc. increased its stake in shares of Leidos by 1,460.0% during the third quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 156 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 146 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of Leidos during the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Leidos in the 3rd quarter worth $30,000. 1832 Asset Management L.P. acquired a new stake in shares of Leidos in the second quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in Leidos by 251.3% during the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 281 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 201 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.12% of the company's stock.

Leidos Stock Up 0.5 %

Shares of Leidos stock opened at $165.55 on Friday. Leidos Holdings, Inc. has a 12-month low of $105.52 and a 12-month high of $202.90. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $170.36 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $156.15. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.86, a PEG ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 0.68.

Leidos (NYSE:LDOS - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The aerospace company reported $2.93 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.96 by $0.97. The firm had revenue of $4.19 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.06 billion. Leidos had a net margin of 7.37% and a return on equity of 30.31%. The business's revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.03 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Leidos Holdings, Inc. will post 10.04 earnings per share for the current year.

Leidos Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 16th will be issued a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 16th. This is an increase from Leidos's previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.97%. Leidos's dividend payout ratio is 17.31%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Robert C. Kovarik, Jr. sold 1,047 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $184.94, for a total value of $193,632.18. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 6,408 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,185,095.52. This represents a 14.04 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Surya N. Mohapatra sold 2,748 shares of Leidos stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $194.97, for a total transaction of $535,777.56. Following the sale, the director now owns 20,001 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,899,594.97. This trade represents a 12.08 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.96% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have issued reports on LDOS. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of Leidos from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on Leidos from $205.00 to $228.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on shares of Leidos from $145.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Leidos from $165.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Leidos from $183.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Leidos currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $189.69.

Leidos Company Profile

Leidos Holdings, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides services and solutions in the defense, intelligence, civil, and health markets in the United States and internationally. The company operates through Defense Solutions, Civil, and Health segments. The Defense Solutions segment offers national security solutions and systems for air, land, sea, space, and cyberspace for the U.S.